1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a printing system, a printing method, and a program for achieving the printing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, since security has come to be valued in a multifunctional machine which inputs and outputs information in an office environment, measures for security in the multifunctional machine are required as well as PCs (personal computers). To meet such a request, a mechanism of providing an authentication function in the multifunctional machine and thus permitting a user who has been authenticated to use the multifunctional machine has been provided. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-099714 discloses a technique of permitting only authenticated users to use a multifunctional machine, and of performing printing of print data of the permitted users by using the authenticated multifunctional machine.
Further, to improve security in the multifunctional machine, it is desired to limit the functions and the printing methods of the multifunctional machine with respect to each user.
However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-099714, since it is merely judged whether or not the relevant user is the user who can use the multifunctional machine, it is impossible to limit the functions and the printing methods of the multifunctional machine. In addition, in a mechanism of preparing limitation information for each user and thus limiting use of a multifunctional machine based on the prepared limitation information, for example, it is impossible in case of printing a document to perform the printing if a printing setting permitted by user's own authorization is not established. For this reason, if it is necessary for a user to perform the printing in a printing setting not permitted, it is necessary to seek out another user who has been permitted to perform the printing in the relevant printing setting, transmit electronic data of the document to the sought user, and thus cause the sought user to perform the printing of the transmitted electronic data on behalf of the user who intends to perform the printing. Therefore, this comes to be a complicated operation.
In particular, since a ratio of temporary employees (or temporary workers) in a workplace increases nowadays, the level of business that the temporary employees have to perform is generally high. Under the circumstances, a case where the temporary employee creates documents such as a written proposal and the like and prints the created documents has increased. However, it is general according to company rules that authority for color printing is not given to temporary employees. For this reason, a case where the temporary employee transmits via an electronic mail or the like the electronic data of a document such as a written proposal or the like created in color to a permanent employee (or a regular worker) so that the permanent employee performs, on behalf of the temporary employee, printing of the created color document has increased. Consequently, it becomes difficult to perform works efficiently. Further, to give printing authority which exceeds printing authority of ordinary temporary employees to a specific temporary employee is difficult from the aspect of management of printing authority.